Job shop profile: Lopes Mechanical and Electrical

Ask most Canadians about Sudbury, Ontario and they’ll usually tell you about mining, a treeless moonscape, smoke-belching smelters and the iconic Big Nickel.

While the Big Nickel is still there, most of those negative impressions of the city are decades old. Sudbury is in fact a clean, attractive city with a considerable manufacturing base, and one of the most successful is Lopes Mechanical and Electrical Limited, located just east of Sudbury in Coniston, Ontario.

Lopes is a major operation, employing 170 in a campus with multiple buildings (fabricating in three buildings with 40,000 square feet ) with low and high bays, heavy lift crane capability and a rail spur that allows inside loading and unloading of flat cars.

The firm uses over a hundred vehicles in its fleet, so many that Lopes operates a stand alone repair shop with licensed mechanics to keep the wide mix of lifting, hauling, generating, and welding equipment in good condition.

Founded in 1976, the company specializes in large fabricated structures, but there are few projects that Lopes won’t tackle. "We do everything", says second generation owner Felix Lopes Jr., adding "oil, chemical, nuclear, agriculture, transportation, pulp and paper, institutional, commercial energy and, of course, mining. We serve all industries except food processing.

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"We work in stainless and carbon steels, copper, aluminum; we work in all metals. A big part of our business is installation. We have customers from all across Canada, and in the U.S. We have customers in Africa. Three years ago we hired a business development manager … before it was word of mouth. Right now the energy sector keeps us busy as well as mining and potash. It’s a tough year."

Lopes serves primarily Ontario but can and will install equipment anywhere.

"Flues, vessels, dust collectors, whatever the customer wants. Most customers want carbon and stainless steels and aluminum. We can ship in one piece or multiple pieces for field installation. Most of our components are field installed by us."

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Control over fabrication and installation gives Lopes a distinct advantage over straight fabricators, as it lets the firm suggest a redesign to the customer where it would mean a more efficient installation. Changing a large weldment into a two-piece design, for example, can eliminate the need to move power lines or use expensive special wide load road permits for trucking.

Equipment includes rollers, press brakes shears and automated plate cutting units. Crane capacity is 33 tonnes and the company can process plate up to 4 inches thick. On the welding and cutting side,

The shop is primarily an ESAB one, says Lopes.

"We’ve been in business for almost 40 years, so we’ve tried (others). For us they’re number one. We’ve increased our employment even with automation. When the demand is there you need the productivity of automation. We’ve never laid off because of automation."

Certifications are ISO 9001-2008 as well as CWB, TSSA and ASME qualification, allowing Lopes to build pressure vessels and complex process equipment. It’s a big operation, but small orders are welcome too.

"I have $12,000-a-year clients looking for bent angles, $150-200 at a time, and we just finished a $20 million dollar contract for a good client. That $12,000-a-year client gives us steady business, that’s important. We work for the process industries right down to the simplest piece of steel."

The overall impression walking the facility is ‘order’. Housekeeping is excellent with bright working areas and fresh air. Bays are both high and wide, with lots of working area and large roll-up doors are positioned to allow much of the truck loading to take place indoors, a real plus in Northern Ontario winters. In the summertime, there is also one of the most unusual employee benefits in any fab shop anywhere: golf.

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Lopes owns its own industrial park, with their operation as well as other businesses on site, plus a flying strip and a company owned nine-hole golf course. Located on the site of an old smelter, the Coniston operation is an excellent example of how the Sudbury region has evolved from a smokestack mining town into a place where high-tech manufacturing takes pace in a clean environment.

"When I took over we had 48 employees … now we’re 170", states Felix Jr.

"We’re successful because of my father and the team we have. Without them we wouldn’t be where we are now. Our number one asset for the business is the people, then technology and then equipment. We’re a stable company with good equipment and talented people… we can do anything. Scheduling is very important. When companies pick us it feels great, like an athlete winning a gold medal. Recently we won a contract over two U.S. companies … it feels good."

Does Felix Lopes love this industry?

"I can’t wait to come in on Monday morning. I love the products we build, our clients, and the people I work with. Even the bad days are good; we learn to be better. We solve problems quickly and it makes us better and stronger."